It is a frustrating story.
Your younger brother has nearly lost everything. His wife left him three years ago. His three sons no longer talk to him. His career as a head chef was the last thing that he had going for him, but he recently lost that as well. Although the restaurant owners had given him several chances, your brother is now without a job. No wife, no children, no job. In fact, he seems to have reached the point of no hope.
And while he has reached this point in his life because of his alcohol abuse, he still can not find the strength to break his addiction. And although he has tried the free Canadian services that offer rehabilitation options, it is becoming more and more clear that he needs a more intense residential setting if he is going to have a chance to recover.
Is there a limit to what you will do to help someone you love? Is there a dollar amount that you can place on the health and well being of a child? What about the health and well being of a parent? A spouse? A sibling?
While it may be difficult to continue to fight for family members who seem no longer able to to fight for themselves, it might be even more difficult to attend a funeral for someone you gave up on.
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers Provide Help to Those Suffering from Alcohol Abuse
Some drug and alcohol abuse situations require intense therapy. While some people may be able to break their addictive habits on their own, others require intervention by trained professionals to conquer their problems. And while free or less expensive programs offered by the government may help some addicts, others need more intensive care.
Alcohol addiction treatment centers provided by the state, while effective, can also be difficult to get into. Because of the affordability, these state run programs often have long wait lists. In the case of people with serious addictions, however, they often do not have the time that it takes to wait for a free spot in a state sponsored residential drug treatment center. Instead, they need immediate services before they do even more damage to themselves, their families, and their friends.
Although the alcohol abuse and drug addiction of a family member can be frustrating to deal with, it is often important to remember that sometimes there are even greater problems going on. For example, people with substance use problems are up to three times more likely to also have a mental illness. Statistics indicate that 15% of people with a substance use problem also have a mental illness. So while you think you may be frustrated with an abuse problem that makes little sense to you, the reality is that the abuse may be a cover or the result of an even greater issue.
Unique Settings Can Provide Lasting Results
Some private rehabilitation treatment settings take very unique approaches to helping their patients break their addictions. For example, some settings that are directed toward relatively young males focus on an approach that involves the outdoors and physical activity. While these residential patients have individual and group therapy sessions to talk about their addiction, they are also given something else to focus on. Challenging physical tasks like rock climbing or distance hiking allow these males to focus on a physical goal at the same time that they are trying to address their mental goals.
Instead of these young males being in residential treatment centers with males who are twice their age, these patients are given the opportunity to use their youth and strength to connect to physically challenging activities. Quite simply, being sore and exhausted from a day of high ropes climbing can help these patients more easily deal with some of the painful withdrawal symptoms they may face.
Given that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to experience mental illness or substance use disorders than any other age group, it makes sense that some private treatment centers are focusing on activities and approaches that are most attractive to that age group.
What are you willing to do to help the your loved one conquer their addiction problem?